Innovations to Wellness

"Today, there is much research showing the connection between our mind, our emotions and our body.... If you are happy, energetic, and excited about an upcoming event, or generally in a hopeful state of mind, your body's immune system will be powerfully affected and will respond accordingly by keeping you in an optimum state of health." Zen and the Art of Happiness, p. 47 Wishing you positive intention setting and a lovely reframing of your mind and attitude in the coming new year. May you have peace in your hearts and love in your being. Happy 2021!

"Happiness comes from within. It is a state that is produced by our minds. Although there are external objects and circumstances that can cause us to feel happy, the objects or circumstances are not the cause of our happiness. The way we feel about those objects or circumstances -- what our minds think about them is the cause of our happiness." "Neither happiness nor unhappiness is contained in the event itself". -Zen and the Art of Happiness, pp. 35-36... Photo credit - saffron flower close-up, from a friend's garden.

"If you really know how to live, what better way to start the day than with a smile?...Smiling helps you approach the day with gentleness and understanding....Smile with your whole being." - Thich That Hang - in Zen and the Art of Happiness, p.29 Think about what would bring you joy today, even the smallest thing or moment, and create it.

This last week before the New Year is called Bardo, in the Zen tradition...a period of waiting, of in between. As we prepare for the New Year, with the changes and renewal and promises we make for ourselves, this time of waiting can sometimes feel strange. Many have felt like they have been in a pattern of waiting in 2020, as the challenges and changes have swirled around us. What remains true is that each of us has the capacity to attain a state of happiness from within - a...nd certainly, this internal year has given us an extraordinary opportunity to begin. "Happiness that is achieved through an essential understanding of Universal laws and of our relationship to the Universe is true happiness. That kind of happiness endures and does not decrease with the changing conditions of time. It sees us through every difficulty, every loss, every hardship, and it brightens even our best days." - Chris Prentiss - Zen, and the Art of Happiness.

Be in the present moment as much as possible.